Abstract

The probe currently available for intraocular photocoagulation consists of a single quartz fiber that delivers a diverging beam. The surgeon must estimate the beam diameter and its irradiance on the target. As the optical medium inside the eye changes during surgery, beam divergence and other related beam parameters (diameter and irradiance) also change. Our goal was to design a probe that: (1) delivers a converging beam with a known waist at a known distance in front of the tip; (2) maintains waist size regardless of changing optical media; (3) has an array of spot sizes; (4) has an unchanged output power at the exit from the probe for all spots in the spot size range (SSR) for any constant-input laser; and (5) has a total diameter of 0.9 mm.

© 1987 Optical Society of America